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Anonymous Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

Sense subject of particple

Dear people,

I have trouble making proper sense of the following sentence.

Please help me figure it out correctly.

"Owners who retired less efficient vehicles would

get larger vouchers, ensuring a greater percentage

of older vehicles will be retired."

Is the sense subject of ensuring 'owners' or the whole

preceding clause, "Owners ... vouchers'?

If the former comprehension of mine is right, I would think

it a bit strange, since I surmise owners themselves could not

ensure the percentage but the authorities or the scheme could.

Anyway, I would like to know the correct interpretation of the

sentence by (a) native English speaker(s).

Thank you very much.

Ray

  

Top answer

" Is the sense subject of ensuring ' owners' or the whole preceding clause, "Owners ... vouchers' ? <<< the whole preceding statement.

— Clive

  • " Is the sense subject of ensuring ' owners' or the whole preceding clause, "Owners ...
  • vouchers' ?
  • <<< the whole preceding statement.
  • If the former comprehension of mine is right, I would think it a bit strange, since I surmise owners themselves could not ensure the percentage but the authorities or the scheme could.
  • It's fine.
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2 Answers
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"Owners who retired less efficient vehicles would

get larger vouchers, ensuring a greater percentage

of older vehicles will be retired."

Is the sense subject of

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Ray VirginIs the sense subject of ensuring 'owners' or the whole preceding clause, "Owners ... vouchers'?

The subject of a participle clause is very commonly the same as the subject of the main clause, so you are right to try to interpret it that way, but that does not apply here. As you suspected, the (implied) subject is the whole preceding clause.

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